title: Art of reading a journal article: Methodically and effectively.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Reading scientific literature is mandatory for researchers and clinicians. With an overflow of medical and dental journals, it is essential to develop a method to choose and read the right articles.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To outline a logical and orderly approach to reading a scientific manuscript. By breaking down the task into smaller, step-by-step components, one should be able to attain the skills to read a scientific article with ease.
  
  
  METHODS
  The reader should begin by reading the title, abstract and conclusions first. If a decision is made to read the entire article, the key elements of the article can be perused in a systematic manner effectively and efficiently. A cogent and organized method is presented to read articles published in scientific journals.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  One can read and appreciate a scientific manuscript if a systematic approach is followed in a simple and logical manner.
authors.affiliation: Department of Oral Pathology, Drs Sudha and Nageswara Rao Siddhartha Institute of Dental Sciences, Gannavaram, Andhra Pradesh, India.
authors.forename: Rv
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Subramanyam
keywords: Articles; journal; reading; research; systematic